Alfredo Sauce
Such a staple ingredient when making any kind of pasta dish, this sauce is also a great base when making my seafood pasta bake!
Alfredo Sauce
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 16 fluid ounces heavy whipping cream
- Salt, to taste
- 1 large pinch ground nutmeg
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
- 2 egg yolks
- 4+ tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
- Add heavy cream, stirring constantly.
- Stir in salt, nutmeg, grated Parmesan and grated Romano. Stir constantly until melted.
- Stir in egg yolks. Simmer over medium low heat for 3 to 5 minutes.
- Garnish with additional grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.
Notes:
Apple BBQ Sauce
The perfect sauce to lather on baste ribs with!! The apple isn’t super pronounced but you know something’s there, and the lemon juice gives it just the right tanginess. The sauce will thicken up as it rests.
Apple BBQ Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 1 cup applesauce
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 6 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- In medium pot, stir all ingredients together and bring to a boil.
- Lower heat slightly and simmer for 5 minutes.
Notes
I like using cinnamon applesauce!
Bang Bang Sauce
The first time I had this sauce was when I had Bang Bang Shrimp at Bonefish Grill. Sooo good and now I know, also incredibly easy to make!
Bang Bang Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
- 2 tablespoons Sriracha
Instructions
- Mix together
- Serve with bang bang shrimp
Notes:
Bearnaise Sauce
This right here! This right here is the BEES KNEES. I LOVE this sauce. I would probably drink it if I could. But alas, I just delight in dipping my pieces of filet in it. YUMMMMMMY.
Bearnaise Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 egg yolks
- 8 ounces clarified butter
- 2 tablespoons shallot, minced
- 6 ounces red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons chopped tarragon
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Place shallots, vinegar and tarragon in a pan and reduce by 1/2.
- Over a double boiler, whisk eggs until thickened and pale.
- Emulsify in butter, slowly (the top liquid, not the sediment), adding hot water as needed to keep sauce consistency.
- Add tarragon reduction and salt and pepper to taste.
Notes:
Béchamel Sauce
Béchamel sauce is often confused with Bearnaise…even now I had to go look up the difference, but ahhh yes, they are very different. Béchamel is the base for creamy saucy dishes like Mac n Cheese, au gratin potatoes, etc. Bearnaise is for FILET baby, yeahhhhhh!!
Bechamel Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 quart milk
- 2 ounces butter
- 2 ounces flour
- 1/4 onion
- Salt
- White pepper
- Nutmeg
Instructions
- In a sauce pot, combine butter and flour to form a roux.
- Temper in milk and add seasonings.
- Bring to a boil.
- Simmer until the starch flavor is gone.
- Add additional seasonings, as needed.
Notes:
Cocktail Sauce
A MUST for a shrimp boil or shrimp cocktail. The Worcestershire (wooster-shrr) sauce is what makes it so good!
Cocktail Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 cups ketchup
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons horseradish (adjust to taste)
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients together until well-combined. Keep refrigerated.
Notes:
Crab Spread
One of a few recipes I haven’t tried. But it’s my momma’s recipe and every time I read it, it sounds easy and yummy!
Crab Spread
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound Velveeta cheese
- 1 stick butter
- 1 can crab meat
- Rye bread
Instructions
- Let cheese and butter soften.
- Mix together.
- Spread over rye bread and broil until cheese browns.
Notes:
Enchilada Sauce
This stuff is heavenly. I’m not a ‘homemade’ snob where I think store-bought stuff is inherently worse than what you can make. Like…I want the cranberry sauce out of the can, don’t bring me that homemade crap. And I thought for sure there was no way I could make enchilada sauce that I like better than the store-bought. But here we are. I will say that I feel like the store-bought sauce doesn’t have the same flavor it used to. But maybe that’s me getting old or that could be the COVID talking :) Either way…this recipe is the real deal. Make a double-batch. Use it on enchiladas and with chilaquiles.
Enchilada Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, plus additional for garnish
- 1 tablespoons ground chili powder
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, to taste
- Pinch of cinnamon
Instructions
- Measure the flour, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, oregano, salt and cinnamon into a small bowl. Place the bowl near the stove with the tomato paste and broth.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, warm the oil until it's hot enough that a light sprinkle of the flour/spice mixture sizzles on contact. this might take a couple of minutes. Keep an eye on it.
- Once the oil is hot enough, pour in the flour and spice mixture. Whisk constantly to make roux. Continue whisking until fragrant and slightly deepened in color, about 1 minute.
- Whisk the tomato paste into the mixture, then slowly pour in the broth while whisking constantly to remove any lumps.
- Raise heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a simmer, then reduce heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, whisking often, for about 5 to 7 minutes, until the sauce has thickened a bit and your spoon encounters some resistance as you stir it.
- Reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting. Whisk in the cilantro and vinegar and season to taste with an additional pinch or two of salt.
Notes
You can double or triple the recipe and freeze what you don’t use.
Hollandaise Sauce
This sauce is a little scary to make. You have to use the clarified (top) part of the butter, which seems impossible. Maybe that’s why it’s impossibly delicious!
Hollandaise Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon water
- 9 ounces clarified butter
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- Salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
- Cayenne pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Over a double boiler, whisk egg yolks with water until thickened, and pale.
- Slowly whisk in butter (the top part, not the sediment) until incorporated.
- Season and serve.
Notes:
Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing
I cannot believe this, but I can’t remember where I got this recipe. I remember the story, I just don’t remember the place. I ordered a salad at a restaurant, which was a rare thing for me, with blue cheese dressing which is the only dressing I will ever eat. The stuff was to die for. I raved and raved about it and the waitress snuck me the recipe and swore me to secrecy. See? I’m so good at keeping secrets I literally purged the name of the restaurant from my memory!
Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 ounces crumbled blue cheese (about 1/2 cup)
- 3 tablespoons buttermilk
- 3 tablespoons sour cream
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mash the blue cheese and buttermilk with fork until mixture resembles small-curd cottage cheese.
- Mix in the sour cream, mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, and garlic powder.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Store dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes:
Lemon Curd
I’m not sure ‘curd’ is how I’d think of this deliciousness, but boy oh boy is this good. It is tart!!! But it is sweet and absolutely perfect as a topping on cheese blintzes. If you haven’t had cheese blintzes, try them. Trader Joes has them and they’re amazing.
Lemon Curd
Ingredients
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 cup fresh lemon juice (approx. 5 lemons)
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
Instructions
- Off any heat, combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium saucepan; stir with a whisk. Stir in lemon juice and eggs.
- Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly with a whisk.
- Reduce heat; simmer 1 minute or until thick, stirring constantly.
- Remove from heat. Add butter and lemon rind; stir gently until butter melts.
- Spoon mixture into a bowl; cool.
- Cover and chill at least 6 hours or overnight. Lemon curd will thicken as it cools.
Notes:
Mostly Mike Isabella’s Pepperoni Pasta Sauce
Even though tomatoes give me heartburn now that I’m old, I LOVE pasta and pasta sauce. I happened upon this recipe when looking through an issue of Food Magazine and just knew I had to try it. The recipe, as it was, was just a little too thick for me so I increased the tomatoes just a bit. It’s important to use real pepperoni…like at the deli…not pre-sliced. This sauce is jam-packed with flavor. Get creative with how you use it!
Mostly Mike Isabella's Pepperoni Pasta Sauce
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion, cut into small dice
- 5 medium garlic cloves, cut into very thin slices
- 1 lb. pepperoni, cut into thin slices
- 1 teaspoon fennel seed, toasted (see NOTE)
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 28-oz. can San Marzano imported Italian plum tomatoes, chopped, with their juices
- 1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 fresh bay leaf
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, until the oil shimmers.
- Add the onion and garlic; cook for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until they are golden and fragrant.
- Stir in the pepperoni; cook for about 5 minutes, until fragrant and evenly coated, then add the toasted fennel seed and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook for 1 minute, stirring.
- Add the tomatoes and their juices (to taste), the broth and the bay leaf; stir to incorporate.
- Once the mixture starts to bubble at the edges, cover and cook for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. The pepperoni slices will be soft, with a deeper color.
- Remove from the heat.
- Working in batches as needed, transfer to a food processor or a high-powered blender (including the bay leaf); puree until smooth.
- The sauce is ready to use. Or cool, cover and refrigerate or freeze.
Notes
Toast the fennel seed in a small dry skillet over medium heat, shaking the skillet often to keep the seeds from burning. They will become fragrant and slightly darker in color. This only takes a couple of minutes.
Peruvian Green Sauce (Aji Verde)
This sauce is what food dreams are made of. It’s jam packed with cilantro, though, so if you’re one of those unfortunate souls who taste soap when you eat cilantro, you are missing out!!
Peruvian Green Sauce (Aji Verde)
Ingredients
- 2 whole jalapenos, roughly chopped (ribs and seeds included)
- 1 medium clove garlic, roughly chopped
- 1 cup packed cilantro
- Juice from 1/2 lime
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons grated cotija cheese (can substitute Parmesan)
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor.
- Process/blend until smooth. May need to scrape down the sides a few times with a spatula for even processing.
Notes
I used 1/2 jalapeno to cut down on the spice. It was still AMAZING!!!
Pimiento Cheese
Pimiento cheese sandwiches are one of my earliest childhood memories. The sharpness of the cheddar, the sweetness of the peppers and the tang of the vinegar. Pure perfection.
Pimiento Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 8 oz. brick Longhorn or sharp cheddar cheese, large grated
- 6 oz. pimientos
- ~2 heaping tablespoons mayonnaise
- ~2 heaping teaspoons vinegar
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients and refrigerate.
Notes: